Court silences Ramphele fraud claims

Johannesburg - The Western Cape High Court has ordered
that Agang SA's new leaders must refrain from implicating former party leader
Mamphela Ramphele in fraud allegations, her attorney said on Thursday.

"These allegations are untrue, without any merit and
in fact malicious and defamatory," Danie Rossouw said in a statement.

He said the party's new leader Mike Tshisonga and deputy
leader Andries Tlouamma made the allegations against Ramphele in court
documents.

Last month, Ramphele and Tshishonga opened separate fraud
cases with police over a bank account opened to receive a refund from the
Electoral Commission of SA (IEC), believed to be around R200 000.

It had been reported that Tshishonga accused Ramphele of
having direct access to party funds, and that she opened the account to access
the IEC deposit without a mandate from the party.

Tshishonga claimed his signature appeared on the bank
account's paperwork without his knowledge.

Ramphele resigned from her position as Agang leader on 8 July,
following internal party divisions.

Rossouw said Ramphele approached the court seeking an
order for the retraction of the allegations.

"On [Thursday] Judge Denis Davis of the [Western] Cape
High Court ordered, by agreement between the parties, that the offending
allegations are unconditionally struck from the record."

The applicants, including Tshishonga and Tlouamma, were
also ordered to refrain from implicating Ramphele in any fraudulent conduct, as
alleged in the court papers.